50 Plasma TV
Top 6 Recommended 50 Inch Plasma TVs
Below are our recommended plasma models in the 50" size for 2008. These recommendations are based upon price, value, quality and feature set considerations and the accompanying editors choice designations may be assigned based on one or more of these aspects.
Panasonic TH-50PZ85U check prices 
42" Plasma TV 1080p
Out of the box the picture from this plasma measures much too blue. Black bleeds into other dark material before properly testing with plugge patterns. After thorough testing we recommend switching HD resolutions back and forth depending upon your HD source component. For example, with our Sony Blu Ray BPS1 we found the 1080i output to give us the best picture. This latest Panasonic plasma is the brightest plasma TV we have ever reviewed. The resultant color rendition is more saturated than previous Panasonic models tested. Blue tones from a Blu Ray really pop (more like an LCD than a plasma picture). Excessive brightness of this plasma makes HD programming really stand out but hurts the realism of the picture images - especially non-computer animated film content. The extra brightness of the TH-42PZ85U will be a benefit to rooms with high ambient light conditions, but a drawback for the darker home theater room. A few if the features for this model are:
VIERA Plasma 1080p HDTV with Increased Native Contrast Ratio, PC Input, New Anti-Reflective Filter, Deep Color Technology, Game Mode, Built-In SD Card Slot/GalleryPlayer® Ready to View, 3 HDMI Inputs and VIERA Link® HDAVI Control
Pioneer PDP-5020HD check prices 
50" Plasma Television 1080p
The new Pioneer Kuro Plasma technology has been focused on presentation of black levels, frankly to catch up with dominant black level producer Panasonic. The blacks are rich and deep and almost the color of the black bezel. Pioneer now claims the deepest blacks, with which claim we concur. It’s hard to imagine that television picture quality can get much better than this. In 1080i and 1080p the Pioneer 5020FD performed almost flawlessly with stunning clarity, deep rich blacks, vibrant but not oversaturated colors. A post calibrated picture will seem at first softer than normal but you the viewer will enjoy the picture much more over time (and you wont get a headache from all the false edge enhancement). Some features:
- High-Definition 1080p Resolution (1920 x 1080p)
- 50" Diagonal Class / 16:9 Wide-Screen Aspect Ratio (49.85" Screen)
- New Deeper Intense Blacks for Unmatched Contrast (5x Previous Generation)
- New Thinner Cosmetic Design
- New Home Media Gallery
- Home Network Connectivity
- 4 Independent HDMI® 1.3 Inputs
- Anti-Reflective Filter
- Subwoofer Output
Samsung PN50A650 check prices
50" Plasma TV 1080p
The Samsung PN50A650 performs excellently with HD content especially if you have a darker room environment. Though this plasma is not nearly as bright, the plasma displays great depth and 3-dimensionality. This creates great excellent definition and a warm realistic picture especially in flesh tones. One slight negative is that the screen does exhibit some light glare from room conditions (despite having anti glare technology). This Samsung plasma has a decidedly dark but fin picture. One other important feature – Samsung's new Touch of Color (red) accent in the frame.
LG 50PG60 check prices
50" Plasma TV 1080p
This heavy hitter of the LG lineup for 2008 features a slim attractive design and is loaded with features such as non-reflective anti glare technology, LG's new Clear Voice technology to enhance dialog volume, and a 1080p resolution which incorporates an ISF calibration certification which provides custom video calibrations. THX certification is also included.
Panasonic TH-50PZ850U check prices
42" Plasma TV 1080p
This flagship Panasonic plasma TV is loaded with all of Panasonic's upgrades. It boasts an amazing 30,000:1 native contrast ratio. However we tested it with ANSI checkerboard pattern testing to be 560:1 post calibration. This is still one of the highest contrast ratios we've ever tested. There is a new Pro setting to fine tune contrast and brightness and a new and a new Studio Reference Picture setting which gives a movie quality effect. Rest assured the black levels are deep dark shadow detailing is excellent as it has been in the past with Panasonic plasmas. This unit is significantly brighter than previous models which will help with high brightness rooms. Some other features:
- Screen Size 50" Class (49.9" diagonal)
- Display Resolution 1080p
- Native Contrast Ratio: 30,000:1
- Dynamic Contrast Ratio: 1,000,000:1
- 900 lines or more of Moving Picture Resolution
- 5,120 Equivalent Shades of Gradation
- 4:3, Zoom, Full, Just, H-fill for TV/AV modes
- 4:3, Full for PC mode
- G11 Progressive 1080p HD Plasma Display Panel
- Screen Coating (Filter)
- New AR (Anti-Reflective) Filter
LG 50PG20 check prices 
50" Plasma TV 720p
LG steps up to the plate in their 2008 lineup with this attractive and well priced 720p plasma offering. No reason to worry about the 1366 X 768 resolution since you cannot notice a difference 95% of the time anyway. Take a look at these features!
- Screen Size Class 50-Inch (Diagonal)
- Native Display Resolution 1365 x 768
- Dynamic Contrast Ratio 20,000:1
- Brightness 1,500 cd/m2
- Life Span (Typical) 100,000 hr
- Built-in Tuner (ATSC/NTSC/Clear QAM)
- HDMI(TM)/HDCP Input (3 v1.3, Deep Color)
- Cabinet Color Glossy Piano Black
- Limited Warranty 1 Year Parts & Labor/ 2 Years Panel
